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Review: Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Loveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei #1)
Abigail Hing Wen
HarperTeen
Published January 7, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Loveboat, Taipei

“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.”

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

“A unique story from an exciting and authentic new voice.” —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

“Equal parts surprising, original, and intelligent. An intense rush of rebellion and romance.” —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

“Fresh as a first kiss.” —Stacey Lee, award-winning author of Outrun the Moon

“Fresh, fun, heartfelt, and totally addictive, a story about finding your place—and your people—where you least expected.” —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of the William C. Morris Award finalist Conviction

My Review

It took me SO LONG to finally read this book! Loveboat, Taipei was one of the books I bought during the COVID-19 Pandemic, but I didn’t get around to reading it until much later, obviously.

I knew very little about the book going into reading it. I knew that it had been made into a movie and was the first in a series, but I didn’t even realize it wasn’t set on a boat until I started reading the book.

If I’d realized this was a book about a dancer, I think I would have picked it up sooner since that’s an easy sell for me. I loved the descriptions of Ever dancing and choreographing. Her need to move her body and find spaces to dance really resonated with me as a former dancer. I remember feeling that way, and the author captured it perfectly. It was like I could feel the tension in Ever’s body when she needed to dance.

The whole book is told from Ever’s point of view. She and Sophie quickly become friends, and Ever feels attraction toward Xavier and Rick in different ways and for different reasons, which she explores as the story unfolds.

Glamour Photos

There’s a scene in the book in which Ever and Sophie go to get glamour photos from a photographer. Sophie poses nude in one of the photos, and at first Ever is shocked.

Her parents’ expectations and rules have been such a straitjacket for her that she decides she’ll break all the rules during the summer program. So, with this in mind, she poses for her own photo.

Normally, I think that would have made me uncomfortable. A teenager posing nude in front of a photographer that she doesn’t know doesn’t seem particularly safe. Is it asking for trouble, having nude photos of oneself? I don’t know. Seems risky.

Abigail Hing Wen did such a great job showing Ever’s thought process during that moment and crafting this scene in which Ever takes back ownership of something so basic (her body) in this moment. It’s one of the most empowering scenes in the book. I loved the empowerment of that moment, and I think it is captured beautifully.

Romance

While the focus of the story, and I think the more compelling storyline is Ever’s experience finding herself and deciding on the terms by which she wants to live her life, there is a romantic arc in the story, too. At first, I had strong feelings for one of the possible guys and against the other. But as the story progressed, I started to see and understand both boys better, and I actually rooted for each of them at different moments.

Conclusion

I absolutely see why this book has gotten the acclaim that it has, and it deserves all the attention and more, in my opinion. I loved it and can’t wait to continue with the series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs and other profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. Ever sees an adult split up a couple who were in the process of making out. He is exposed when this happens. Ever and Sophie do a glamour photo shoot with a professional photographer, which culminates in nude photos. Ever poses for the photo as a demonstration of empowerment, taking ownership of her body and intending for no one else to see the photo.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Ever sees the end of a fistfight between two people. Someone is injured in an accident involving a car and a pedestrian. Characters practice stick fighting.

A boy chases a girl, threatening to harm her and shouting slurs at her after giving her a black eye earlier in the book. The girl reports him to authorities, and he receives consequences.

Ever feels faint whenever she sees blood. She helps bandage someone up a few times, and it’s clearly hard for her.

Drug Content
Ever and other teens drink alcohol. The legal drinking age is 18. It’s implied that they’re drinking legally. Ever gets drunk and passes out and is embarrassed about her behavior later.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, Poetry, , , , , , , , , ,

One Big Open Sky
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Holiday House
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About One Big Open Sky

Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free—or cost them everything they have—in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement.

1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family an opportunity to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations on their very own plot of land.
But Thomas’ hopes—and mouth—are bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger.

Right after the war ended/and we were free/we believed/all of us did/that couldn’t nothing hurt us/the way master had when we were slaves/Couldn’t no one tell us/how to live/how to die.

Lettie, her mother, Sylvia, and young teacher Philomena are free from slavery—but bound by poverty, access to opportunity, and patriarchal social structures. Will these women survive the hardships of their journey? And as Thomas’ desire for control overpowers his common sense, will they truly be free once they get there?

Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome’s striking verse masterfully portrays an underrepresented historical era. Tackling powerful themes of autonomy and Black self-emancipation, Cline-Ransome offers readers an intimate look into the lives of three women and an expansive portrait of generations striving for their promised freedom.

My Review

I had all these grand plans to read and talk about so many novels in verse this month, and instead, here I am, talking about the first one on the last day of April. Alas. It’s a book worth talking about, though, so I’m not sorry about that!

I picked up a copy of One Big Open Sky on Netgalley. After reading the description of the story, I was hooked. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about the Black homesteader movement, so I love that this book explores that part of history.

Three women tell the story. First, we meet Lettie, the oldest daughter in her family, who has just learned about her parents’ plans to move from Mississippi to Nebraska, a journey of about 1500 miles. Lettie’s mom, Sylvia also shares her perspective, listening as her husband complains about the group’s leadership choices and dreams for the future. Philomena, a single woman on her way to Nebraska for a job as a teacher, joins the group, sharing space with Sylvia, Lettie, and their family.

It took me a few chapters to catch that Sylvia was Lettie’s mom. At first, I thought they were in two different families. Once I understood the relationship, though, the two perspectives on the same family gave me a more complete picture of what was going on and how each person felt about it.

Sylvia and Lettie have very different relationships with Thomas, Sylvia’s husband and Lettie’s dad, for example. They also have different fears and worries about leaving Mississippi.

The story takes place in 1879, meaning the Civil War and emancipation happened within the lifetimes of many characters. Sometimes they reference back to life as an enslaved person, their expectations for freedom and what turned out to be true, and their hopes for life in the West.

One of the sweet threads of the story is the relationship between Lettie and another group member’s dog, Sutter. He’s an old dog with a limp, but Lettie takes to him, and they form a sweet friendship. I loved the way that plays out.

Conclusion

I liked this book a lot. It made me remember playing Oregon Trail in school (I’m not sure I ever successfully forded a river or escaped dysentery) and long to know more about the Black homesteader movement. The character perspectives were obviously carefully chosen and each added a lot to the tale.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man appears interested in courting Philomena.

Spiritual Content
The group prays together and sings hymns sometimes. Several times the story references the story of Moses in the Bible, leading the Israelites to freedom.

Violent Content
A man accidentally shoots himself. A group of white men attack someone in the night, but are successfully chased off. A man drowns during a river crossing. A violent hail storm causes injuries to those caught in it.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , , ,

Coyote Lost and Found
Dan Gemeinhart
Henry Holt & Co.
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Coyote Lost and Found

It’s been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye.

So Coyote and her dad gear up for an epic cross-country road trip to scatter the ashes at her mom’s chosen resting place. The only problem? Coyote has no idea where that resting place is—and the secret’s hidden in a book that Coyote mistakenly sold last year, somewhere in the country. Now, it’s up to Coyote to track down the treasured book . . . without her dad ever finding out that it’s lost. It’s time to fire up their trusty bus, Yager, pick up some old friends, discover some new ones, and hit the road on another unforgettable adventure.

My Review

I have a friend who loves voicey middle grade with a southern feel to it, and this book immediately made me think of her. Coyote is an absolute wonder. She’s unconventional and a little wild, kind of a loner, and has such a huge heart. I really like Rodeo, her dad, as well. He’s got a very hippy sensibility and definitely wouldn’t be everyone’s pick for best dad, but his temperament really works with Coyote, and he works really hard to make sure she has what she needs.

This is a book about grief. It’s a book about saying goodbye to someone you’ve already lost, and how sometimes grief is a journey, and on that journey, you have to say goodbye more than once. Some of the scenes in which Coyote and her dad talk about or around their losses were so poignant. I cried more than once.

It’s also a story set during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it has an underlying uncertainty and loneliness to it. It doesn’t have to do with the pandemic at all, really, but the shutdowns and fears about the virus impacted different characters and scenes in ways that made me think.

The only thing I kept waiting for and felt like was missing from the story is more information about Coyote’s sisters. She lost her mom and two sisters in a car accident long before this book (and another about Coyote and her dad) takes place. While this book focused on the loss of her mom, I felt like it was a little odd that she never named her sisters or had any memories of them or longing for them specifically. I haven’t yet read COYOTE SUNRISE, so it’s possible her relationships with them are explained more fully in the other book.

On the whole, I loved Coyote’s powerful voice and the sweet and silly rituals she shares with her dad and the lucky people they bring into their lives. I can definitely see fans of Kate DiCamillo’s contemporary novels or fans of Gillian McDunn loving this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Coyote’s best friend is Latine American. Another character is Asian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
See violent content.

Romance/Sexual Content
Coyote gets uncomfortable when she realizes her dad may have romantic feelings for a neighbor.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A white clerk threatens an Asian American customer, holding up a baseball bat and saying racist things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of COYOTE LOST AND FOUND in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Someday Daughter by Ellen O’Clover

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

The Someday Daughter
Ellen O’Clover
HarperTeen
Published February 20, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Someday Daughter

Years before Audrey St. Vrain was born, her mother, Camilla, shot to fame with Letters to My Someday Daughter, a self-help book encouraging women to treat themselves with the same love and care they’d treat their own daughters. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s family.

Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla’s daughter, and she’s looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother’s world. But when Camilla asks Audrey to go on tour with her to promote the book’s anniversary, Audrey can’t help but think that this is the last, best chance to figure out how they fit into each other’s lives—not as the someday daughter and someday mother, but as themselves, just as they are.

What Audrey doesn’t know is that spending the summer with Camilla and her tour staff—including the disarmingly honest, distressingly cute video intern, Silas—will upset everything she’s so carefully planned for her life.

My Review

While I didn’t feel the immediate connection with this book that I did with O’Clover’s debut, I think there’s still so much to love about her sophomore novel. There’s lots of room in the young adult book sphere for mining mother-daughter relationships, especially complex ones. At times, I worried that the story would drift into condemning Audrey for her wounds and boundaries with her mom, and though there were a couple of conversations I wish had gone differently, the story explored those hurts and responses to hurts with a lot of sensitivity and depth.

The romance subplot moves very slowly, which actually really works here. Because the story is largely focused on Audrey’s relationship with her mom, the way her mom’s book has made her feel, and the way people treat her because of her connection to her mom, I think the romance needed to be more of a back-burner-simmer rather than demanding the spotlight. It also helped to showcase what supportive relationships can look like– they don’t demand centerstage when the moment isn’t right.

All of that to say that two books in, I’m still a huge fan of Ellen O’Clover’s writing. I love the depth that she creates and explores in her main characters, and I’m absolutely here for whatever book(s) come next.

Fans of Emery Lord or Ashley Schumacher will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
One minor character is Asian American. Another is gay. Another is a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Audrey recalls a time that her mom showed up at her school (for other reasons) and wound up having a sex education with the other girls in her dorm. References to sex.

Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, they undress together, and the scene ends with their intention to have sex.

Spiritual Content
A girl gets out an Ouija board, intending for the group to use it.

Violent Content
A girl nearly drowns in a lake. A tropical storm brings violent wind and rain.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a club.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE SOMEDAY DAUGHTER in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Always Isn’t Forever by J. C. Cervantes

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

Always Isn’t Forever
J. C. Cervantes
Razorbill
Published June 6, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Always Isn’t Forever

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life–instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson–but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

My Review

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of books by J. C. Cervantes, but this is the first one I’ve ever read. Since it was compared to YOU’VE REACHED SAM, I really wanted to check it out.

It took me a few chapters to get into the story and really fall in love with Hart and Ruby. I’m not sure why, but once I invested, I felt like it was really easy to enjoy the story.

Some of the mechanics of the plot do require a bit of willing suspension of disbelief. As Jameson, Hart has a super limited amount of time in which he’ll retain his memories of his life as Hart. Once that passes, he’ll have Jameson’s memories but still be Hart in spirit or soul. The rules of Hart’s exchange (his soul in Jameson’s body) state that he can’t tell anyone the truth about who he is and what happened.

There’s a bit of dancing around the edges of those rules and bending them here and there. I think it might be harder to enjoy the story if you needed the spiritual/afterlife side of it to make perfect sense and be perfectly self-consistent.

Fortunately, I found it pretty easy to suspend my disbelief because I wanted to know if and how Ruby and Hart could find one another again. I’m always up for a “Can true love conquer all?” type of story, and this one definitely delivered on that trope.

All in all, I can see fans of YOU’VE REACHED SAM or THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END liking this one. It’s a great light summer book with a sweet love story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Hart and Ruby are Latine. Ruby’s sister Gabi is in a relationship with another girl.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. Ruby and Hart agreed to wait until college to have sex.

Spiritual Content
Hart meets an angel after his death who gives him a choice to return to life with his soul in the body of someone else.

Ruby’s sister Gabi has a tarot card deck made for her by Ruby’s aunt. When she does a reading with this deck, Gabi senses her ancestors speaking to her. The readings are always insightful and accurate.

Violent Content
Vague descriptions of a drowning death. Vague descriptions of a motorcycle accident. A player is injured during a game of football.

Drug Content
Hart learns Jameson was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his motorcycle. Jameson drank a lot of alcohol, but Hart doesn’t.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of ALWAYS ISN’T FOREVER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: How to Go Anywhere (And Not Get Lost) by Hans Aschim

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

How to Go Anywhere (And Not Get Lost)
Hans Aschim
Workman Publishing Company
Published March 30, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Go Anywhere (And Not Get Lost)

From journalist and adventurer extraordinaire Hans Aschim, here’s a lively and interactive book that gets kids unplugged and out of the house—and teaches them cool navigation techniques to use while hiking, camping, or just exploring the backyard or nearby park. 

With lively full-color illustrations and full-color photos throughout, HOW TO GO ANYWHERE (AND NOT GET LOST) combines fascinating history with fun hands-on activities that bring critical science, geography, and astronomy concepts to life. Readers will discover explorers and the tools they developed through the ages: from the ancient Polynesians who crafted stick charts to learn swell patterns in the water to navigate precise paths through the ocean; to Age of Discovery navigators who used compasses and maps to reach the New World; to the modern-day pilots who wield radar and GPS to soar across continents. Kids will also learn skills like taking their bearings with a compass; finding their way with dead reckoning; and locating their own latitude and longitude. 

And best of all: 17 activities—making their own sextant, compass, stick chart, chip log, and more—will turn all young adventurers into young navigators.

My Review

This book is part history, part DIY, and part love for the outdoors. Even though I’m not really a camping/hiking kind of person, I found I loved this book. I liked the approach the author took, walking readers through the history of navigation and navigational equipment. At each stage, the author describes how people used clues from nature and the stars, combined with basic math to figure out where they were and also where they were going.

The activities are integrated pretty seamlessly into the book, too. They’re directly related to concepts the author has explained, so they read like a, “now you know, go try it,” type of thing. I loved that, and I also really want to try out some of the activities myself and with my kids.

On the whole, this book was very easy to read. The sections of text are short and often broken up with sidebars or other short bits of information. The author scaled the information really well for young readers. I think anyone, nature enthusiast or not, could benefit from this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Briefly covers history of famous explorers or groups with a focus on navigational methods.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.